The Absence of Truth | S. Stilinski

IX. | boyd

IX. | boyd

                    MONDAY MORNING ROLLED around before I could blink, and then I was back at school, laughing with Danny as we walked to chemistry class together. He'd had an eventful weekend, sneaking into clubs downtown and getting older men to buy him drinks. He was busy telling me about an instance including a vodka tonic when he looked over at me with wide eyes and an even wider grin.

"You and Presley should definitely come with me sometime."

I couldn't help but laugh. Neither Presley or I were party animals, but if we needed to, we'd make an appearance at a few get-togethers. I was never a drinker, but Presley could handle his alcohol, and with his killer smile, it'd take nothing for him to reel in free drinks. To keep Danny pleased, I said a simple, "Sure," then turned the conversation over to homework, where I'd been lost over the weekend.

As we sat down at our lab bench, me now next to Danny since Jackson had decided to take the seat directly across from his friend, Stiles and Scott sent me small smiles. I waved at them before leaning my head down towards my notebook so Danny could help me with an equation that I didn't quite understand.

Danny tried his best to explain, but I zoned out and thought about the secrets I knew. I couldn't help but wonder what made Scott so comfortable around me after last week. He'd injured Presley and received multiple threats from me, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. At most, he'd been guilty, but ever since I learned his wild secret, he'd reacted completely normal around me. I wondered if it was because he knew I could never truly hurt him.

"Get it?" Danny asked next to me.

I pulled myself out of my mind and looked down at the notebook where Danny had written the correct answer. "Yeah," I said as Harris entered the room. "Thanks."

-

The first half of the day went smoothly, and by the time lunch rolled around, I wasn't even thinking about anything werewolf related. Presley and I met up over a meal of lunch room slop, and we talked a little before the rest of the lacrosse team sat down around us. Similarly to every other school we'd been to, Presley was constantly surrounded by the popular crowd. With my direct relation to him, I was lucky enough to get boxed in at the jock table during every event. Today was no different.

Jackson sat down next to me and Danny sat across from him. The two traded jabs before Danny and Presley started talking about their math class, leaving myself and Jackson to our own devices. I'd not spoken to Jackson much since starting school, and I didn't plan on learning anything about him. Sitting in such close proximity gave me an idea of what kind of person he was - cold, cruel, calculating. It made my skin crawl.

I clicked away at a game on my phone to ignore the boy sitting next to me. We weren't talking so I took it as a sign that he didn't want to, but then he leaned over closer to me and said, "What do you know?"

"Huh?" I asked stupidly, looking over at him and setting my phone down in my lap.

"What do you know?" He asked again, hardening his stare to intimidate me. I knew what he was talking about - werewolves - but I kept a screen of confusion over my features so I didn't tip him off. He must of bought it, because he said, "McCall and his little friends. What do you know about them?"

Somehow, even sitting right across from me, Presley wasn't aware of the conversation I was having. I wasn't scared of Jackson, but I could feel the danger in our conversation growing as I shrugged my shoulders. "Not much. They're nice."

Wrong answer. Jackson placed a hand on my leg, right above my knee, and squeezed tight. So tight, that I gasped in pain. No one at the table noticed over the rambunctious laughing of teammates. I was on my own.